Work on the Tuxedo Bridge replacement project is officially underway. The long-awaited project was approved by voters in the 2020 General Obligation Bond Election and has faced several delays due to environmental regulations and budgetary constraints.
City Project Engineer Steve Roper said Tuesday that traffic control measures are being implemented this week and that construction on the project will start next week.
“The roadway is reduced to one lane in each direction, beginning next week,” Roper said. “Drivers should expect lane shifts as all traffic will be diverted to the current eastbound bridge.”
He said Pathfinder will be closed under the bridge for the duration of the project. The project is scheduled to be completed Summer 2025.
The project consists of a full deck replacement of the westbound bridge.
Other projects
Yale Drive
Engineering staff is waiting on final plans from CEC, the contractor for the design portion of the Yale Drive reconstruction project, and say construction on the project is likely to start after the winter weather has moved through, presumably in February or March.
The project was among $4.24 million in streets and bridges projects approved in the 2020 General Obligation Bond election, with $850,000 budgeted for the project.
Park parking lots
Ring road and parking lot improvements approved by voters in the 2020 General Obligation Bond election have been completed at Sooner, Jo Allyn Lowe and Lyon parks.
Improvements at Johnstone Park will get underway after the Fantasyland of Lights has been disassembled, likely by February. Weather permitting, the project is set to be finished next spring.
Pathfinder
Paving crews are currently working between Johnstone Park and the crossing under Tuxedo Boulevard. After this selection is complete, contract crews will transition to Robinwood Park, then Adams at Quapaw, and finally Polaris Park (near the tunnel under Silver Lake Road).
The Pathfinder Improvements 2024 project, approved by voters in the 2018 and 2020 G.O. Bond Elections, is scheduled to be completed next spring.